Can-soldering and surplus-solder-removing machine.



PATENT-ED AUG. 22, 1905.

M. LBITGH. GAN'SOLDERING AND SURPLUS SOLDBR REMOVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1904.

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PATBNTED AUG. 22, 1905.

M. LEITGH. CAN SOLDERING AND SURPLUS SOLDBR REMOVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'Jmercm Led'c/z/ 'UNHED STATES PATENT orr'roe.

MEREDITH LEITOH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CAN-SOLDERING AND SURPLUS-SOLDER-REMOVING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1905.

Application filed September 12, 1904- Serial No. 224,054.

To all 10720772, it may concern;

Be it known that I, MEREDITH LEITCI-I, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Can-Soldering and Surplus-Solder-Removing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for soldering the end seams of sheetmetal cans and removing surplus solder therefrom.

In my improved machine the end seams of the cans are soldered in the usual way by rolling them in an inclined position along a runway or track through or in contact with a flux bath or device for applying acid or other flux to the end seams of the cans and then through a solder bath or device for applying molten solder to the end seams of the cans as they are rolled along the inclined guideway or track. A longitudinally and downwardly inclined runway then turns the cans into an upright position and delivers the same onto a horizontally-rotating turret having pockets and antifriction-rollers to receive the cans and permit the cans to be individually rotated as they are carried around by the turret. An endless conveyor, preferably a belt, having a run or loop partially surrounding the turret holds the cans in the pockets of the turret and causes each can to rotate on its own axis as the turret revolves. Rapidly-rotating buffers mounted on the turret on shafts or axes inclined to the shaft or axis of the turret engage the freshly-soldered end scams or corners of the rotating cans as the cans are rotated on their axes and car ried around by the turret. A stationary cam surrounding the turret causes the rotary buffers to swing .on their axes or be raised and lowered to permit the cans to be received onto and discharged from the turret and to cause the buffers to properly engage the freshly-soldered end seamsor corners of the cans. The buffers may be of any suit able kind commonly used for buffing sheet metal, but are preferably each composed of a series of light thin soft flexible textile circular disks, preferably cotton-cloth disks, and are preferably about eight inches in diameter, clampedtogether on a shaft or mandrel, the centrifugal action of the rapidly-revolving cloth disks serving to lick, kiss, or whip the same against the molten-solder-coated corner surface of the can with a bufling action as contradistinguished from a wiping pressure or movement, and thus removing the surplus solder from the can and polishing and restoring the tin luster to the outside surface of the can which was immersed in the molten solder of the solderbath in the soldering step or operation. As my rotary buffers revolve in a plane at an angle to the axis of the can, the same have no tendency to throw or scatter fine )articles of solder into the cap-opening or fil ing-opening of the top head of the can.

My invention consists in the novel construction of parts and devices and in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein shown or described.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of a device or mechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1., Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section on line 4 4 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of one of the rotary buffers.

In the drawings, A represents the frame of the machine.

B B are transversely-inclined tracks or runways along which the cans are rolled in an inclined position through the solder bath or vessel O. Each of the can-runways B B has a lower guide I) for the lower ends of the rolling cans to bear against and an upper guide 5 to bear against the upper ends of the cans.

O is a heater, preferably a coal-burning furnace, for keeping the solder c molten.

E E are endless flexible conveyers, preferably chains, traveling on pulleys E for rolling the cans along the transversely-inclined runways B B.

D D are cooling-belts traveling on hori .zontal pulleys D upon which cooling-belts the cans after being soldered and the surplus solder removed therefrom are delivered in an upright position and conveyed with their freshly-soldered end seams horizontalwhile the cans are being cooled and the solder set, thus preventing the solder from collecting more at one part of the seam than another.

F F are horizontally-rotating turrets, each having an upright hollow shaft or hub F rets F F, each turret having one buffer for each can-pocket thereon. Each of the rotary buffers H H has a peripheral groove h to adapt the same to fit the corner of the rotating can X and contact both with the head 00 and body 20 of the can at the portions thereof which are coated with solder from the solderbath. Each of the rotary buffers is preferably composed of a series of light thin soft flexible textile circular disks h, preferably cotton-cloth disks, clamped together on the shaft H with interposed washers or disks h of smaller diameter. The shafts H of each of the buffers is inclined, preferably at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the axis of the turret, and has a slight up-anddown or vertical swinging movement provided for by a pivotal connection H to adapt the buffer to swing downward out of the way at the can-receiving and can-discharging stations or positions as the turret rotates. A stationary cam or sinuous track H on the frame of the machine engaging a collar or shoe H on the shaft H serves to raise the buffer against the can and permit it to swing down out of the way to permit the can to be received on the turret and be discharged therefrom. The lower or non-pivotal portion H of each buffer-shaft H is journaled in a suitable bearing H on a depending arm or bracket F on the turret and has a bevel-gear H, which meshes with a bevel-gear K on the hollow driving-shaft K, which is furnished with a pulley K and driven by a belt K from any suitable source of power. Each of the buffers H H is rotated at a high or buffing speed, preferably, say, from six hundred to twelve hundred revolutions per minute. The hollow drivingshaft K and the hollow shaft F of the turret F are each journaled on an upright stationary shaft or stem A on the frame. Motion is communicated from the hollow drivingshaft K to the turret F through a spur-gear 76 on the shaft K, gear 70 on the shaft 16 which is journaled on a stud or arm k on a collar 70*, secured to the stationary shaft or stem A, and which shaft W has a small gear is meshing with a larger gear F on the hollow shaft F of the turret. The turret is thus given a comparatively slow revolution on its axis.

The endless conveyers or belts G G are driven in the direction indicated by the ar rows in Fig. 1 by suitable belts g g and pulg4 g5 g6 M M are having side'guides m and extending from and forming a continuation of the runways B B, respectively, and by which the cans are turned into an upright position and delivered into the can-receiving pockets of the 'turrets F F, and N N are longitudinally-inclined chutes having side guides n and extending from the turrets F F to the coolingvthe surplus solder has been removed from the corners of the cans by the buffers H H in an upright position.

passing along the runway B, first through through a solder bath or device C, roll down the runway M and are thereby turned into a M being transversely twisted, and delivered iuto the pockets of the continuously-rotating turret F, the endless belt G serving, in con- M, to feed the cans into the pockets of the turret. As the turret F revolves the cans are rotated on their own axes by the belt G, operating in conjunction with the turret F swings the rapidly-rotating buffer H up into position to contact with the rotating can, thus quickly removing the surplus solder from the corner of the can which was im- F continues to rotate the buffer H is slightly can is discharged from the turret by contactis by it delivered onto the cooling-belt D.

the downmost one. This other end of the described.

vention and does not form part thereof, I have not herein shown or described in detail the construction of this soldering part of the machine. In my invention, however, I preson and Taliaferro patent, No. 704,257, of

that portion or end of the Hodgson and longitudinally-inclined runways belts D D, respectively, and by which after the cans are delivered onto the cooling-belts The operation is as follows: The cans after the flux bath or device (not shown) and then substantially upright position, the runway 3 nection with the side guides m of the runway J and antifriction-rollersf thereon, and at the same time the stationary trackor cam H mersed in the solder-bath C. As the turret i lowered out of contact with the can, and the ing with the side guide n of the chute N and From the cooling-belt D the can is delivered in the usual manner at the op osite end oft the soldering mechanism (whic is not illustrated in the drawings) into the other run-i way B with its other or unsoldered end now can is then soldered and the surplus solder removed therefrom by the operation of the other turret F in the same manner as above As the particular construction of the sol-i dering mechanism is immaterial to my in fer to employ the form of soldering-machine I which is shown and described in the Hodg- July 8, 1902, and have, therefore, in illustrating my invention indicated in the drawings Taliaierro patent can-solderim machine to which my rotary bufi er surrilus-solder-removing improvement is directly combined and connected. For a more full description of the soldering mechanism I would refer to the specification and description of said Hodgson and Taliaferro patent.

I do not herein claim the combination with the solder bath, transverselyinclined runways for the cans, means for rolling the cans along the runways, rotating can-carrying turrets having pockets to automatically receive the cans from inclined can-delivery runways, inclined runways for delivering the cans to the turrets, cooling-belts, and chutes for delivering the cans from the turrets to the cooling-belts, as this forms the subject of claim in my copending application, Serial No. 224,055, filed of even date herewith.

I claim 1. In a can-endsoldering and surplussol der-removing machine, the combination with a solder bath or device, of two transverselyinclined runways for the cans, endless flexible conveyers or chains for rolling the cans along said runways, two continuously-rotating turrets each furnished with pockets and antifriction-rollers to receive the cans, two

endless conveyers or belts each having a run 2. In a can-end-soldering and surplus-sch der-removing machine, the combination with a solder-bath, of two transversely-inclined runways for the cans, endless flexible conveyers or chains for rolling the cans along said runways, two cooling-belts, two continuously-rotating turrets each furnished with pockets and antifriction-rollers to receive the cans, two endless conveyers or belts each having arun partially surrounding one of said turrets to rotate the cans, a series of rotary bufi'ers mounted on each of said turrets, longitudinally-inclined chutes or runways for delivering the cans from said transverselyinclined runways to the turrets, and chutes for delivering the cans from the turret to the cooling-belt, substantially as specified.

3. In a can-soldering and surplus-solderremoving machine, the combination with a solder-bath, a transversely-inclined runway for the cans, means for rolling the cans along said runway, a cooling-belt, a rotary turret furnished with pockets and antifrictionrollers to receive the cans, anendless conveyer or belt having a run or loop partially surrounding the turret to rotate the cans, a series of rotary buffers mounted on the turret and engaging the freshly-soldered seams of the cans and means for delivering the cans from the turret onto the cooling-belt, substantially as specified.

4. In a can-soldering and surplus-solderremoving machine, the combination with a solder-bath, a transversely-inclined runway for the cans, means for rolling the cans along said runway, a cooling-belt, a rotary turret removing machine, the combination with a solder-bath, a transversely-inclined runway for the cans, means for rolling the cans along said runway, a cooling-belt, a rotary turret furnished with pockets and antifrictionrollers to receive the cans, an endless con veyer or belt having a run or loop partially surrounding the turret to rotate the cans, a V

series of rotary buffers mounted on the turret and engaging the freshly-soldered seams of the cans, a longitudinally-inclined chute or runway for delivering the cans to the turret, and a chute or runway for delivering the cans from the turret to the cooling-belt, substantially as specified.

6. In a can-soldering and surplus-solderremoving machine, the combination with'a soldering mechanism, of a rotary turret furnished with pockets and antifriction-rollers to receive the cans, an endless conveyer having a run partially surrounding the turret to rotate the cans, and a series of rotary buffers having pivotal or vertically-swinging shafts mounted on the turret, and a stationary cam or track for raising and lowering the buffers Es dthe turret rotates, substantially as speciremoving machine, the combination with a solder-bath, a runway for the cans, means for rolling the cans along the runway, a rotary turret, means for holding and rotating the cans on the turret, means for automatically delivering the cans from the runway onto the turret and a series of rotary buffers mounted on the turret, substantially as specified.

8. In a can-soldering and surplus-solderremoving machine, the combination with a solder-bath, a runway for the cans, meansv for rolling the cans along the runway, a rotary turret, means for holding and rotating the cans on the turret, a series of rotary buffers mounted on the turret, and a chute or runway for delivering the cans to the turret,

- said turret having pockets to receive the cans automatically from said chute, substantially as specified. v

9. In a can-soldering and surplus-solder- 7. In a can-soldering and surplussolder removing machine, the combination with a solder-bath, a runway for the cans, means rolling the cans along the runway, a rotary turret, means for holding and rotating the cans on the turret, a series of rotary buffers mounted on the turret, a chute or runway for delivering the cans to the turret, said turret having pockets to receive the cans automatically from said chute, said rotary bufiers having inclined and vertically-movable shafts, substantially as specified.

10. In a can-soldering and surplus-solderremoving machine, the combination with a solder-bath, a runway for the cans, means for rolling the cans along the runway, a rotary turret, means for holding and rotating the cans on the turret, a series of rotary buffers mounted on the turret, a chute or runway for delivering the cans to the turret, said rotary buffers having inclined and verticallymovable swinging shafts, and a stationary cam or track to raise and lower the buffers as the turret rotates, substantially as specified.

11. In a can-soldering and surplus-solderremoving machine, the combination with a solder-bath, a runway for the cans, means for rolling the cans along the runway, a rotary turret, a cooling-belt, means for holding and rotating the cans on the turret, and a series of rotary buffers mounted on the turret and means for delivering the cans from the turret onto the cooling belt, substantially as specified.

12. I11 a can-soldering and surplus-solder removing machine, the combination with a solder-bath, a runway for the cans, means for rolling the cans along the runway, a retary turret, a cooling-belt, means for holding and rotating the cans on the turret, a series of rotary buffers mounted on the turret, a chute or runway for delivering the cans to the turret, a chute or runway for delivering the cans from the turret to the cooling-belt, said rotary buffers having inclined and verti- Cally-movable shafts, and a stationary cam or track to raise and lower the buffers as the turret rotates, substantially as specified.

13. In a can-soldering and surplus-solderremoving machine, the combination with a soldering mechanism, of a rotary turret furnished with pockets and antifriction-rollers to receive the cans, an endless conveyer having a run partially surrounding the turret to rotate the cans, and a series of rotary buffers mounted on the turret and engaging the freshly-soldered seams of the cans, substan tially as specified.

14. In a can-soldering and surplussolder removing machine, the combination with a soldering mechanism, of a rotary turret furnished with pockets and antifriction-rollers to receive the cans, an endless conveyer having a run partially surrounding the turret to rotate the cans, and a series of rotary bufl'ers 'mounted on the turret and engaging the angle to the axis of the turret, and each rotary buffer having a groove in its periphery to cause the same to engage both the bottom or head and the side or body of the can, substantially as specified.

. MEREDITH LEITCH.

Witnesses W. F. DUTTON, A. R. GIBBs. 

